Winter Science Seasonal Changes in Matter

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Winter Science-Seasonal Changes in Matter Experiment

Welcome back to Unit Study Fridays! Each week I get together with some great bloggers to bring unit study materials and resources based on the week’s theme. This week our theme is winter science and I’m super excited to share another ice experiment for kids.

We’re experimenting with ice and changes in matter to see how water changes when exposed to different temperatures. Water is a great ingredient for science experiments that focus on the different states of matter because it can take on the form of a liquid, solid, and gas with very little prep work. We do experiments like these when I don’t have time to plan an entire homeschool science lab project.

Supplies

2 Cups of water

Ice tray

Small saucepan

Activity

Begin by letting kids see and feel the water at room temperature.

Pour the water into the ice tray and place it in the freezer overnight. Before checking on the water in the morning write a prediction on a piece of paper about what has happened to the water when it was exposed to freezing temperatures. Take the ice tray out of the freezer and let kids feel and hold the ice cubes. Explain that when winter arrives many places experience temperatures that are at or below 32 degrees fahrenheit which is the temperature at which liquid freezes into a solid.

As winter turns to spring the temperatures rise above freezing. Place the ice cubes in a saucepan and write on paper predicting what will happen to the ice cubes as the temperature warms. Turn the heat on low and show how the ice cubes melt back to a liquid state.

Unit Study Fridays

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